Environmentalists are always looking for allies who can blast away treehugger stereotypes. They should consider reaching out to the community of anyone who's ever gone snorkeling in a coral reef. (You remember that part of your Cancun vacation, don't you? It happened sometime between the margaritas and the … margaritas.) According to a new book called Our Dying Planet, humanity is on track to wipe out all coral reefs. No more bright, awesome fish and crazy plants. Ever.

The book, written by Peter Sale, a former professor at the University of Sydney who’s now at the United Nations University, says that this will be "a new first for mankind — the 'extinction' of an entire ecosystem." We'd say it's more like a new low.